Buying an 87 vert, have some questions.

[alcarames]

I've been a member of this site for a while already since I own an 11 mustang gt. I'm buying an 87 vert I found on eBay in ok shape, it has potential. Mainly I bought it as a project for me and my son to work on together. I'm getting the car pretty cheap. Besides, I've always wanted a fox ever since I was 11 years old, they were iconic cars which is why I bought a mustang again when they brought back the 5.0 nameplate.

Anyways, the outside needs paint. It has many different colored body panels, needs a new roof (which is included) and the interior is pretty nice. The car fax shows a mileage discrepancy. It seems they car had 159k in 01, then it was sold and the mileage reported was was 64k in 07. So it seems that the odo rolled over but it wasn't documented as such that time. It's had 6 owners.

So now it's at 88k which I'm assuming is 188k, it says 88k on there now. I'm assuming the engine has never been rebuilt. So usually how many miles are these pushrod 5.0's good for on average? I know it all depends on the maintenance etc. I thought them to be pretty stout engines. Any recommendations on oil weight?

 

[JoeS197]

My dad has a 1990 LX 5.0 convertible he bought brand new and it has 327,000 miles on her and she still runs great! The pushrod 5.0 engine is a very reliable engine if maintained properly. Good luck on your new project, I remember helping my dad work on his 5.0 when I was a kid :beer:

 

[FISHTAIL]

I've been a member of this site for a while already since I own an 11 mustang gt. I'm buying an 87 vert I found on eBay in ok shape, it has potential. Mainly I bought it as a project for me and my son to work on together. I'm getting the car pretty cheap. Besides, I've always wanted a fox ever since I was 11 years old, they were iconic cars which is why I bought a mustang again when they brought back the 5.0 nameplate.

Anyways, the outside needs paint. It has many different colored body panels, needs a new roof (which is included) and the interior is pretty nice. The car fax shows a mileage discrepancy. It seems they car had 159k in 01, then it was sold and the mileage reported was was 64k in 07. So it seems that the odo rolled over but it wasn't documented as such that time. It's had 6 owners.

So now it's at 88k which I'm assuming is 188k, it says 88k on there now. I'm assuming the engine has never been rebuilt. So usually how many miles are these pushrod 5.0's good for on average? I know it all depends on the maintenance etc. I thought them to be pretty stout engines. Any recommendations on oil weight?

I'd say it's more likely it rolled over and someone didn't bother mentioning it. 188k is fine, I was still racing my 92GT when it had over 200k miles on it pulling in 103mph traps on a mostly stock engine (exhaust, rr's etc..nothing major).

If it's been well cared for (the engine) you have some life left in it.

Convertible projects are fun. I'm working on one right now..I picked up a 92LX 5.0 LX Vert last summer that needed GOBS of work. Paint was oxidized, motor was bad, and the interior was easily the most disgusting I've ever seen. I've already replaced the engine, I was able to save most of the paint, and I have the interior out of it now replacing what I have to and re-dying everything else. Since you got this as a project car, you may want to consider an interior dye job.

If you go back to the original color, it's not difficult to do and it will make the interior look BRAND NEW. It'll also be a good chance to make sure there aren't any wiring hack jobs behind the dash (I found a few in mine), replace the heater core, run speaker wire, etc. It's also a good time to check for rust, since in at least my case, there was some on the floor pan under the carpet thanks to a leak near the passenger rear window.

Make sure that the 1/4 windows roll up and down smooth when you get it and that the motors don't bind or make nasty noises. Either case is an easy fix, but you'll want to address that stuff now before you start cleaning the inside up.